G W & Jane Baley. To C D and J Jacobs
July the 8. A.D. 1879. Harrison Co., MO. Cainsville P.O.
Not Forgate Children tho long Neglected on thee Acount of not geten Answers when I did rite. I hant had A letter for three year before. I have rote and cant get A letter from you nor Elisabeth. We hant no idea why none of you hant rote. We recevd your welcom letter last saturday. Was glad to hear from you. Juliann You said you had eight children and mension all of their names. But Lydas name you did not mension.. It causes us a grate wonderin of mind. We fear she is ded. It causes us a trobled mind and will Until we hear from you again. Let us hear from Elizabeth how she is a geten Along. Let us hear from all of our Kindred and old neighbors as far as you no. Tel Elizabeth to rite and let Us hear from hur. You wanted to hear from An. Tha Live in Chariton Co. MO. Margaret livs thar tuo, clost to Brunswick. We hant sene them be two year in September. We got a letter from them a few days ago. Ann rote tha was all sick with the chills. We dont expect tha ar A doing vary well. John depens on working by thee day .... mutch. Ben and bud livs in Benten Co. MO. Bud is married and talks of goin to Origan this fall. Bens helth ante any better. Tha have lost thare oldest Child. She died the 6th of August last. Tha have three Children, 2 boys tha Gal thes..
Babe Aradell Mazzana (Baley) has four Children, Charles W.M., and Benjamon and Samuel and James Orval. Ben's Boys names is Hannibal Elmer and Oliver Washington. Margaret's (Baley) Children names is Marietta, Rebecka Ellen and Estella. Hur boy is ded. His name was John. Eliza is a widow with one child. she calls it Rebecka. Angeline was two years old the 23 of June. Hur and W.M. is all the children we have with in one hundred miles of us. W.M. is not married
yet. Papa sold out last fall, that is his Mercer Co. farm to go south. But could not sell his corn for anything. Corn was so plenty it was from eight and third to 10 cents per bushel. It is onley 20 cents now, bacon 10 cents, flower 2 dollars and fifty cents, coffee 5 .. lbs to the dollar, shugar 15 pounds for a dollar, Callico from 5 ta 6 cents A yard, butter 6 cents, cattle is low, hogs three dollars a hundred. Pap and billa rented A farm in Harrison Co. and has in seventy Achors of corn. Tha most of it looks wall. Tha hant hiard but 5 days work this seson. Tha ar A plowing to day. Tha has bin so mutch rane ever sens thee last of May tha cant plow for thee ground is so wet. Thare is A gradeal of corn drowned out all of the lo places. Papa said to day he was Afraid he would loze it. About 15 Achors of his corn. We live on Grand river. It has...
RETURN TO: Bailey Migration, Part 2
Showing posts with label Harrison County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harrison County. Show all posts
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Bailey Migration to Missouri - Part 2,Old Letters Home
I consulted the 1870 and 1880 U.S. Census, and was able deduce that more than a dozen extended family members left Kentucky around 1868. Only two of the Bailey children stayed in Kentucky - older daughters, first born Julia Jacobs (my great grandmother) and Elizabeth (3rd born), but six others accompanied George and Jane Bailey - four of those were adults. Their daughter, Mazy Anna (2nd born), was accompanied by her husband, John C. Blythe and their two small children. Two male children, Ben (A Civil War Veteran) and (Bud) went with the family. One of their younger daughters, Margaret, made the trip, but married a fellow named Obediah Moon in about 1871, moved to Minnesota, but returned by the late seventies. The father of Jane (Harrison) Bailey might have gone with them or he had migrated earlier and they joined him later.
The following are a few excerpts from the letters (The links are to each letter referenced):
Jane‘s 1874 letter:
The following are a few excerpts from the letters (The links are to each letter referenced):
Jane‘s 1874 letter:
"Beloved Children, one and all, Throu thee Mercy of God I am Permitted to Answer your kind And welcom letter that we Recevd thee 30eth of May (1874). My reason for not answering sunner was I had no paper.“
“As Comon pap is A getting so he can work Again we hope this will fiend you all well and doing well. Times is hard hear, money scarse and wages lo. ”
Obediah Moon's 1874 letter about his recent visit to Missouri was written at about the same time as the one above from Jane Bailey:
“father Baley often talked about Old KY though it seamed as though they would not leave old MO. father would say some times he had allmost A notion to go back to old KY. I would tell him if he would that I would go with them. I could not keep them in A notion long Enough to start though. Father says KY is A far better Place than MO. he would talk about the good times he had in KY. And then to see the hard times he has in MO. it would bring the tears in a childs Eye.”
In 1879 letter by Jane:
“Bens helth is gon and his Mind Almost gon. he hant bin able to keep house by them selvs for over two year. It is over two year sense he had thee first fitt. He takes foolish spells that he Dont no what he is About. He has to be watch al the time. He has no warning of thee fitt A toll.”
“We have had a very worm winter with the exception of About 2 weeks. But A cold backword spring. Thare has bin two hevy frosts. This week ice froze in the Kitchen. Wheet crop ante very good. What corn was up the frost has kilt. We got a letter from bud. He is well. He is in Pettis Co. MO. Tamonta P.O. He talks of comin home this sumer on a viset. John (Blythe) got a letter from Ben. Tha was well. Tha live in Hickory Co., Whitley PO. Ben is a Triing to get A pension.”
“We got a letter from them a few days ago. Ann (Blythe) rote tha was all sick with the chills. We dont expect tha ar A doing vary well. John (Blythe) depens on working by thee day .... Mutch.”
In 1880 Jane wrote:
“As Comon pap is A getting so he can work Again we hope this will fiend you all well and doing well. Times is hard hear, money scarse and wages lo. ”
Obediah Moon's 1874 letter about his recent visit to Missouri was written at about the same time as the one above from Jane Bailey:
“father Baley often talked about Old KY though it seamed as though they would not leave old MO. father would say some times he had allmost A notion to go back to old KY. I would tell him if he would that I would go with them. I could not keep them in A notion long Enough to start though. Father says KY is A far better Place than MO. he would talk about the good times he had in KY. And then to see the hard times he has in MO. it would bring the tears in a childs Eye.”
In 1879 letter by Jane:
“Bens helth is gon and his Mind Almost gon. he hant bin able to keep house by them selvs for over two year. It is over two year sense he had thee first fitt. He takes foolish spells that he Dont no what he is About. He has to be watch al the time. He has no warning of thee fitt A toll.”
“We have had a very worm winter with the exception of About 2 weeks. But A cold backword spring. Thare has bin two hevy frosts. This week ice froze in the Kitchen. Wheet crop ante very good. What corn was up the frost has kilt. We got a letter from bud. He is well. He is in Pettis Co. MO. Tamonta P.O. He talks of comin home this sumer on a viset. John (Blythe) got a letter from Ben. Tha was well. Tha live in Hickory Co., Whitley PO. Ben is a Triing to get A pension.”
“We got a letter from them a few days ago. Ann (Blythe) rote tha was all sick with the chills. We dont expect tha ar A doing vary well. John (Blythe) depens on working by thee day .... Mutch.”
In 1880 Jane wrote:
“Well I must tel you of the death of your Dear sister Magga (Moon). She died before you got my last letter. She died the 23 of January and her second child Rebecka did three weeks from the day Magga died the 13 of Febrary. Magga was willing to di. She cald us all to the bed and told us the hour had come. The lord had told hur she was A goin to hur little Boy. She welcomd deth. She had suffer ever sence the April Before. You never daw A poorer corps. She was beried the 25. I will send you some of hur Beriing Close. Tha cost twenty Dollars Coffin and the rest of hur close. She is beried by her Grand Father (Harrison) in Harrison Co.”
I found a young couple named Harrison listed (on the same page) in the 1870 US Census with John Blythe and Ben Bailey families. The grandfather must have been Harrison, the father of Jane (Harrison) Bailey.
In June of 1886 Jane wrote:
"Dear Children one and all. This day I meat with the pleasure of answering your verry unexpected letter. We was alful glad to hear from you all but sorro to hear of the deth of your sister and brother. But we was glad to hear you all was yet alive and well. We are all well as can be expected . Pap and I are very frail."
That was the last letter Charles and Julia Jacobs received from Julia‘s parents. I suspect that George Washington Bailey died within a year or two, though I was not able to find any info on his death. His wife, Jane Harrison Bailey, may have died in Indiana in 1896 after moving back east with one of her sons.
I found a young couple named Harrison listed (on the same page) in the 1870 US Census with John Blythe and Ben Bailey families. The grandfather must have been Harrison, the father of Jane (Harrison) Bailey.
In June of 1886 Jane wrote:
"Dear Children one and all. This day I meat with the pleasure of answering your verry unexpected letter. We was alful glad to hear from you all but sorro to hear of the deth of your sister and brother. But we was glad to hear you all was yet alive and well. We are all well as can be expected . Pap and I are very frail."
That was the last letter Charles and Julia Jacobs received from Julia‘s parents. I suspect that George Washington Bailey died within a year or two, though I was not able to find any info on his death. His wife, Jane Harrison Bailey, may have died in Indiana in 1896 after moving back east with one of her sons.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)